Canada has a large and well developed railway system that today transports primarily freight.There are two major privately owned transcontinental freight railway systems, the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railway. Nation-wide passenger services are provided by the federal crown corporation Via Rail. Three Canadian cities have commuter train services: in the Montreal area by Agence metropolitaine de transport, in the Toronto area by GO Transit, and in the Vancouver area by West Coast Express. These cities and several others are also served by light rail or metro systems. Smaller railways such as Ontario Northland Railway and Algoma Central Railway also run passenger trains to remote rural areas. The Rocky Mountaineer and Royal Canadian Pacific provide Rail tours through the Rocky Mountains.

Canada has 49,422 kilometers (30,709 mi) total trackage, of which only 129 kilometers (80 mi) is electrified. Canada uses 1,435 mm (4ft 8 1/2 in ) (standard gauge) track for the majority of its railway system. The exceptions to this are small lines isolated from the main North American rail network used in resource industries such as mining or forestry, some of which are narrow gauge and the broad-gauge streetcar and subway lines of Toronto.